I am a senior editor at Forbes, covering legal affairs, corporate finance, macroeconomics and the occasional sailing story. I was the Southwest Bureau manager for Forbes in Houston from 1999 to 2003, when I returned home to Connecticut for a Knight fellowship at Yale Law School. Before that I worked for Bloomberg Business News in Houston and the late, great Dallas Times Herald and Houston Post. While I am a Chartered Financial Analyst and have a year of law school under my belt, most of what I know about financial journalism, I learned in Texas.

Backpage Takes Heat, But Prostitution Ads Are Everywhere

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has a heartrending story today about underage prostitutes who are pimped out on Backpage.com, a website with roots in the swinging personal ads that have appeared at the back of the Village Voice since the 1960s.

Kristof describes how a 13-year-old he calls Baby Face was advertised on Backpage and repeatedly raped by older johns. He quotes Brooklyn prosecutor Lynn Hersh as saying “Backpage is a great vehicle for pimps trying to sell girls.” He notes that Craigslist got out of the business after public protests and pressure from state attorneys general.

It’s all true — except Craigslist hasn’t really gotten out of the business and Backpage isn’t the best place to run an illegal enterprise, at least if you want to keep your business secret from the cops. The company, a unit of Village Voice Media, says it takes credit card numbers for all ads, including free personals, and responds to subpoenas within hours.

It is true Craigslist got rid of its “Adult Services” advertising category in September 2010, but that doesn’t mean prostitutes and pimps aren’t still using the site. Type in this Google search if you’re curious: site:craigslist.org inurl:cas roses. “Roses” is code for “dollars” in the world of Internet prostitution, and you get more than 20,000 listings by people who seem to be talking about sex and money in Craigslist personals. Want to find more professionals quick? Search for “Asian massage” on Google, or “site:facebook.com escorts new york.” I’m not saying they’re all prostitutes, but chances are there are more than few among the legitimate escort agencies and massage parlors that advertise online.

Kristof notes that attorneys general of 48 states sent a letter to Backpage last August accusing the company of being a “hub” for child sex trafficking activity. Investigators identified hundreds of prostitution ads and reported that “nearly naked persons in provocative positions are pictured in nearly every adult services advertisement.” As opposed to Craigslist personals like this one and this one (warning: explicit).

It’s curious that the AGs are targeting Backpage, which they say earns some $22.7 million a year from adult personals. Yes, Backpage makes money from randy ads — parent Village Voice been doing that for decades — but it’s also the online equivalent of a European red-light district, contained and easily monitored by the police. A Backpage executive who spoke on condition of anonymity told me the company has 123 moderators reviewing the content of ads to try and identify ads for underage prostitution.

Since posters also supply credit-card numbers, it isn’t hard in most cases for police to track down who places those ads. (The advertiser in the Kristof case wrote a plain-vanilla personal ad for “labor day weekend fun” with a 21-year-0ld, but his credit card number allowed him to be quickly identified, Backpage says.) The Backpage executive said the company responds to about 100 subpoenas a month, and dispatched an employee to testify before a grand jury called by the Brooklyn prosecutor Hersh as recently as September.

Backpage has taken a defiant tone with the AGs and prosecutors who accuse it of aiding prostitution. The company was recently blamed for prostitute killings in Detroit but Backpage showed that the victims had advertised on at least 15 other sites and there was no evidence the killer had relied on Backpage to find the victims. Its executives are quick to supply the links and Internet code words that show just how ubiquitous Internet prostitution really is. (Try searching for “BBBJ” or “talent gigs” and lots more action pops up.) While Craigslist and other sites have discouraged the use of phone numbers, advertisers simply spell them out or place them in photographs; Google the numbers and you’ll see they are often for dubious-looking escort services. Many of those even have explicit Google reviews.

Kristof acknowledges “there’s some risk that pimps will migrate to new Web sites,” but it seems obvious they never left. So when the AGs declared victory over Craigslist in 2008, it may have been a little premature.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with trying to shut down the vigorous market for human flesh. It’s equivalent to targeting child pornography: Eliminate the producers of this ghastly product and the exploitation will diminish.

But the choice of targets is curious. Especially when one of the leaders of the effort is Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna. Not only is Washington home to Microsoft, whose Bing search engine and software helps power the Internet prostitution business. McKenna’s s official bio also notes he practiced business and regulatory law at Perkins Coie from 1988 to 1996. Among the law firm’s many clients is Craigslist, which it successfully defended in a 2009 case by the Cook County Sheriff accusing Craigslist of facilitating prostitution.

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Upfront, I completely support all law enforcement efforts to root out underage abuse.

I hope that readers of this well written article, can see that a vehicle should not be blamed for the actions of the driver… with so many categories and varied interests, I have used Backpage and CList for many things… If someone does not want to be exposed to something they consider unsavory, then don’t click on it. And- I’ll tell you, since Law Enforcement can easily point/click, let the idiots post on there- it’ll save the police time… but DON’T blame Backpage/CL- they are just the vehicle, not the driver.

I think it is a shame for any man to take a child before she is ready and have her live an adult life. I got with a man when I was 16 he was ten years older than me, I am caucasion, so was he, He was not a pimp he did not make me sell my body, but he beat me terribly if I acted childish or did childish things, he forced me into an adult life by violence. I am now 25 and am an escort, I left that man when I was 21. I have been escorting for a year and two months to this day. I have put this Little piece of myself on here so you can understand the person behind these words. I used to have a pimp when I first started escorting (he met me after I had begun and I’m lucky to have met him). Lucky? I can see the look of appall on your faces now. So let me help you understand (promise I have a point have to break this down so even the most small minded or ignorant person may understand) It’s very important you understand. Yes lucky because had I not met him I would be dead a long time ago or I would wish I was dead. Why? There are way worse pimps than the one I met I came to learn quick by talking to other girls. I had never been beat by him, he never made me do anything I wasnt comfortable with and never put me in danger. He Never would let a minor work. ( I no longer have a pimp simply because I grew out of the need for one) Sadly not everyone is so kind. Yes there are men out there who are taking these little girls and showing them a world they dont have no business being in. Yes Sometimes they beat and starve them. However I feel the approach you are taking is the wrong one. They will find another way to do this. So where do you start on fixing this problem? Remember when drug awarness started? I was still in school and I remember it did not help my generation, but I know for a fact it has helped the next generation and the next too. I know because I can tell less kids are doing drugs than ten years ago. Trust me this is true not much but it’s a start. You need to start treating the underage prostitution problem the same way. Teach these kids early what to avoid so they can avoid these kind of situations instead of blaming people who are just trying to make livings or survive. Give the men who do pimp underage girls Life in prison. That will definately help. If someone had taught me right when I was young I would not have went to airline school instead of running away with my ten years senior boyfriend who has scarred me for life. Awareness is where you need to start it will help. I have came across many men while escorting and I promise you, Pimps are one of the last things you need to worry about. If there wasnt escorting rapes and murder rates would rise considerably. Hopefully despite what I do or Who I am you will take these words to heart, and listen.

Like anything else in this world, there will always be some people trying to down others for personal gain. Someone needed a pay check so they make out criagslist and backpage out to be bad things. Yes it is wrong to have underage children on backpage. It does say u have to be 18 or older.NOT BACKPAGES FAULT. but think…why was this person able to get sweept up by a pimp? where are parrents when these things happen? and Raped?? i think that 99.9% of people who have pimps go willingly at first. but not going to get into that. i do feel bad if that was the case and that should never had hapend. but u have to also look at the people who did it. did they see or know how old this person was. Did they think it was rape when it happend? And on another note. bp does do credit/debit card transactions… but they also make prepaid cards and gift cards, you can buy almost anywhere… its nothing to give a fake name and adress. so no its not as easy for police. They still have to work :) sry police… I do not think backpage should be to blame. and craigslist has not stoped. they just post on another subject lol. Bottom line pimps and hoes will always be around… Watch your kids, this wouldnt happen. and the same pople having something bad to say, have used to site once or twice…may evan be a regular on there lol. Nothing wrong with having people hang out for some time. nothing illegal in that. If thats the case the whole internet would be shut down.

I’m tired of big government trying to control every aspect of our lives. It’s sad that people abuse children, but blaming Backpage for it is just stupid. By shutting down websites like Backpage and Craigslist is just another violation of our Constitutional Rights. The people who hire young children are the ones responsible. There’s a million ways on the internet to advertise. Can’t shut them all down. Picking on a few websites won’t solve the problem and it only violates the adults rights who post on there. Educating young children will help stop the problem and giving stiff sentences to offenders (pimps) who abuse children, will help stop this kind of atrocity. Leave Backpage and Craigslist alone!

It’s sad that people abuse children, but blaming Backpage for it is just stupid. By shutting down websites like Backpage and Craigslist is just another violation of our Constitutional Rights. The people who hire young children are the ones responsible. “Quote from Alexandria” I agree with Alexandia. Thank You, innocent1

This is just another case of liberals being crazy. 99.9% of the women who are on backpage are adults without a pimp. No pimp or underage girl in their right mind is going to post an advertisement that can be seen by law enforcement. The women on backpage are adults.

This is just crazy liberal hysteria. It’s like when some criminal shoots someone with a gun and liberals try to demonize all gun owners and try to ban guns.

If you’re for or against prostitution, fine. Just get your facts straights. 99.9% of the women who post prostitution ads are adults without a pimp. As usual, the liberals and the media try to give a megaphone to that .1% and try to pretend like it’s the norm.

How about the heartrending story in the May 5, 2011 ‘The Economist’ which share the story of the 17,000 juvenile inmates who were raped in 2008 by the jail staff? Or how about the well over 100 cases in 2010- 2011 of law enforcement officers having sex with minors? How about the 90% of all cases of child sexual exploitation in which the perpetrators are someone whom the child knows and trusts… like the Jerry Sanduskys of the world- and 68% of those are family members who sexually abuse those minors? Parents like Keith Brown- father of the musical group The Five Browns… who sexually molested his daughters for years while parading around as a pillar of the community? Does anyone care about THOSE victims or are we only going to go after consenting adults until we close down all ADULT ads on every media venue to protect the children? How about the untold number of victims of pedophiles in Hollywood that former child star Corey Feldman talked about to the press and which never got any media attention at all because the perpetrators are all men with power in Hollywood and the media does not bite the hand that feeds it? If you are to be consistent, which I certainly don’t expect from journalists at all- particularly those who subscribe to ANYTHING that Nicholas Kristoff has to say on prostitution- then why isn’t the media demanding that we shut down athletic programs where pedophiles are likely to encounter their victims?Or pass laws preventing priests from being around any adolescent alone at any time? Because 90% is far more heartrending than the few who are found on backpage.com- and while yes, one is too many, how many victims of pedophile priests, preachers, teachers, coaches, producers, agents and cops will it take to get the media attention and see you start an all out crusade to shut down venues in which the majority of predators find their victims? And it ain’t on the internet! Much too easy to pick on adult prostitutes and our clients because we are the last acceptable scape goat for all the ills of society- and because most of the time we don’t have the resources or the media ear to fight back.

Anyone who wishes to see the US Government reports and the untold number of cases of pedophile law enforcement agents can visit www.policeprostitutionandpolitics.com and find links to all the government’s reports. You don’t need to believe a retired prostitute- read the government’s own reports and then tell me why 90% isn’t important enough to write about?

Lets add to that list of how BAD COPS abuse the adult women. 1)In 2010 a lowell ma cop arrested for raping a street hooker, 2)in 2010 a Boston Court house clerk was convicted for violating the civil rights of 3 women by threatening them with their pending cases for sex inside a holding cell. 3)2011 Ct chief of police arrested for child porn 4)2010 PA chief of police engages in sex acts with 13 women and then arrests them all for prostitution. 5)PA cop caugjht running a prostitution ring, renting the women cars and providing them drugs and he got a paid leave of absence and all the charges where dismissed. To see more bad cops at work go to http://theproviderpage.com/news/TheProviderPage-News.php

How dare you… Bringing facts to the argument! Next thing you know, you’ll mention how giant child kidnapping rings are ran by government contractors ~ ahem, dyncorp, ahem~ and have been called out on the floor of congress and yet still continue to do business with them. Or that More children get abuse in the CPS than any other organization including the roman catholic church.